Hilton's Gateshead depot warned
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• Despite the issue of seven prohibition notices, four of them immediate, in recent years, the Northern deputy LA, Mr J. A. Baldwin, imposed only a nominal penalty on Ralph Hilton Transport Services ltd of Gateshead, when the company appeared before him at Newcastle-upon-Tyne this week.
For the firm. Mr Campbell Wardlaw said the company was only one of a network of subsidiary and associated companies of Ralph Hilton Transport Ltd which had its main depot in Charlton, London. and operated over 1200 vehicles throughout most of the UK's licensing areas. In Gateshead this subsidiary had 87 vehicles and 71 trailers and had a formidable staff on hand to maintain the vehicles. In addition the London transport director. Mr D. Gordon, was informed by Telex if any GV9s were issued and immediately went to the depot concerned for an on the spot. inquiry.
When Mr Wardlaw mentioned that the headquarters of the Hilton Transport Group were used in the television series "The Brothers". Mf Baldwin replied, "Yes, I know. I watched that one myself." Mr Gordon said that although documentation, maintenance and the inspection system at Gateshead was, he felt, as good as it could be". a series of GV9s, several of them immediate. had been placed on its vehicles. The most recent which has brought the company before the LA was on a recovery vehicle which had been used only spasmodical'y and which. Mr Gordon added, had not been kept in the same state of maintenance as the other vehicles.
Mr Baldwin said that although he was quite certa;n the firm fully understood the position, several of the vehicles which were subject to immediate GV9s had obvious serious defects and no right to be on the road. As the Gateshead depot had SO far only taken up 46 of the 87 vehicles licences it was allowed, he would impose a warning by reducing this number to 50 for the next three months. If the depot then required any further vehicles it would have to make reapplication to the court.